


Recollection

by Miyotesse



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-07
Updated: 2017-12-07
Packaged: 2019-02-11 19:25:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,660
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12942042
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Miyotesse/pseuds/Miyotesse
Summary: Marinette had a conundrum. She couldn’t figure out when exactly it was that she fell in love with Alya. She knew, now, that she could not be more in love with her if she even tried, but pinpointing the exact moment was hard.





	Recollection

                Marinette had a conundrum. She couldn’t figure out when exactly it was that she fell in love with Alya. She knew, now, that she could not be more in love with her if she even tried, but pinpointing the exact moment was hard.

                She was fairly certain that, on that first day, the shared macaron had tasted just a little bit sweeter, just a little bit better. But that wasn’t the day that she fell in love with Alya.

                She remembered their first, unofficial, ‘date’, an interview for the Ladyblog, at night, just her and Alya. She remembered laughing so hard she cried, and she remembered her chest tightening when Alya looked upset for just a moment when the evening was over. She remembered wanting to hug her in that moment, but she remember passing it off as something any friend would do. She was certain that that was not the time she fell in love.

                There were countless times Alya put herself in harm’s way, all for a scoop, all for the story. The incident with The Pharaoh came to mind the most, but there were dozens of others. But the one that Marinette remembered the most was Befana. She remembered seeing Alya trying to take on an Akuma, not for a scoop, not for an exclusive, but to protect her. Marinette. That was the first time she remembered blushing when she thought about the girl. But it was not when she fell in love with her.

                One memory resurfaces, vivid but until now buried. Their teacher was Akumatised, Truthkeeper was her name. She was the first of Hawkmoth’s new era of Akuma, designed not to destroy property but to weaken the resolve of the city. She had the power to force people to reveal truths about themselves, things they didn’t want known. Her purpose was obvious, but Marinette remembered her getting to Alya before she could transform. She remembered the pain in the girl’s tear filled eyes as she was forced to confess that her dating Nino was a ruse, for both of them to pine after boys and, in her case, girls, who they could not pursue. In front of the whole school, she was outed and made to confess for her love of Ladybug. That was not the time she fell in love with Alya, but it was the first time that she vowed more than arrest to Hawkmoth. At that time, she vowed that she would make him suffer a thousand fold for what he had done to Alya.

                She remembered, a few days after, knocking at Alya’s window as Ladybug late one stormy night. The Ladyblog had gone silent, and the girl had not shown up at school. As Marinette, she had learned that Alya was safe, but she wanted time to let the incident blow over. She could remember being invited inside, but staying at the window, despite the rain. ‘For clarity’ she had said at the time, though now she regretted those words. The two girls spoke at length about the Akuma, and about Alya, and Ladybug had reassured her that this would not change her opinion of her.

                But it may well have done.

                Marinette could remember Alya returning to school to almost no applause or celebration, but she remembered it being the single biggest relief of stress she had ever experienced. She had practically clung to the girl the entire day, fearing that somehow letting go of her might make her disappear. Alya was her usual self, bubbly and bright, but there was a wariness to the girl that had not been there before, even around her best friend, which broke Marinette’s heart. She was unsure if this was when she fell in love, because it did not feel the same as her crush on Adrien had done. That was instant, and dizzy, and warm. This was a dull, cold, heavy twist in her gut.

                She could not remember much of the few months after that, but she did recall her trepidation when the new heroes arrived, a pang of jealousy shooting through her every time she saw Alya interviewing Queen Bee. She remembered approaching the yellow and black hero and telling her to stay away from Alya; for everyone’s sake, of course, QB could not be trusted with keeping information to herself, and Alya had a habit for magnetising towards danger. It was definitely not jealous that pushed her, or at least, she did not believe that it was at the time. In hindsight, she could tell that her feelings for Alya were changing.

                One night stood out from most. Another Akuma during the day had left a significant mark on the city, a far more violent villain that had been slashing and stabbing its way through the streets. Ladybug had gone to visit Alya for her weekly meet up ‘for the ladyblog’, only to find the girl crying on her bed. Upon questioning, she learned that, before Ladybug’s magics had saved the day, she had been stabbed in the chest, and had almost died. She remembered holding the girl tightly as she sobbed, whispering reassurances and apologies in equal measure. The memory of Alya looked up at her, in a mixture of awe and of desperation, still haunted her dreams, and the memory of their lips gently brushing together as Ladybug’s eyes slowly closed held a special place in her mind. That moment was when she knew for certain that she was in love with Alya, but it was not the moment that she fell in love with her.

                She tried to recall what happened between those two points. Akumas came and went, their school year had finished… they had gone camping together, a week away from everyone and everything. Hawkmoth, in a strange moment, had informed the city via Akuma that he intended to take some time off, to hunt for some artefact or other in Tibet. She and the other heroes had argued for some time about what to do, Chat and Bee believed it was a trap to send them out of the city after him, and Jade and Volpina believed it to be true, and wanted to chase after him and stop him. She was undecided, so she gave them another option. By that time, she had connections within Interpol, and had them attempt to locate Hawkmoth in Tibet. Meanwhile, she and her fellow heroes would make a big play of leaving the city, but would be no more than a half day of travel away, and would keep a close eye on the city, in case more Akumas attacked.

                She remembered being very tense when Alya asked her to go camping, but relaxed when she realised that a three hour train ride would return them to the heart of Paris. The week had been a wonderful and much needed holiday, with time spent swimming, sunbathing, cooking, playing games, and generally relaxing and enjoying one another’s company. One night, the last night they were there, she remembered them sitting up by camp fire light, swapping stories over a swiped bottle of red wine. Her memory grew fuzzy towards the end of the night, but she remembered Alya telling her that she was sorry for not acting the same after her revelation. She talked of trust and fear, and how alone she had felt… right up until Marinette had walked her home that day. She remembered Alya breaking down at that point, and she remembered waking up with the girl in her arms. That might well have been the moment that she fell in love with her best friend, as the dim orange light of the rising sun caught her features just so, and the rhythmic breathing raised and lowered the girl against her. The cute little mumble that came from the girl as Marinette tried to move. The slow opening of her eyes, and the heartfelt, genuine smile that spread across her lips when she realised who she was resting against.

                “Hey, Buggy, you OK? You’ve been staring silently for like ten minutes,” a voice said, shaking her from her memories. She blinked once or twice, and turned to the speaker, La Volpina.

                “Huh?” She asked quietly.

                “What’s on your mind?” Volpina asked with a smile.

                “Ah. Um… this girl that I kinda… like like,” she said, blushing faintly. This caught the foxy hero by surprise.

                “Oh. I, uh… I didn’t know you were into girls,” she said, disappointment laced within her voice.

                “Not just. But she’s very special. She goes to the same school as I do, and she just… I’m in love with her and I can’t do anything about it, because she’s…” Ladybug began, before biting her tongue.

                “She’s what? Not into girls? Not into you?”

                “No, that’s the problem! She is into me. **This** me, Ladybug me. I have no idea if she even thinks about civilian me in that way…” Ladybug said with a sigh.

                “Well, this is just one gay gal’s opinion, but if you know a cute gay girl who’s got incredible taste in ladies, then you have to take the chance. You just can’t let it slip you by. There are precious few opportunities, trust me on this, I have a crush on my straight bestie, so I kinda envy your situation,” Volpina said, patting her on the shoulder.

                “Hah… that must be painful, I’m sorry. What a pair we make…” Ladybug said with a weak smile on her face.

                “You’re telling me. And hey, if it doesn’t work out, you and I could always try something. You’re cute as a button, y’know,” Volpina said with a wink.

                “And be dating a trickster goddess? Actually, dating a goddess does sound pretty tempting,” Ladybug replied with a teasing wink. “Thank you, but I will try my luck with Alya first,” she said. Volpina let out a shrill squeak as her eyes shot open wide.

                “Alya!?” she exclaimed.               


End file.
